WTH?
by Home By Another Way
Summary: Everything is coming to a head.  The shamans are prepared for an all-out battle, but do their unsuspecting allies know that?  Are they even allies at all?  Can they learn to trust each other before it's too late?  Or is it all over for both worlds?
1. Chapter 1: Here We Go

**Hi-ya, Fellow Fanficitoneers! ;)**

**This is (obviously) a new story of mine! FEEL FREE TO READ IT, BUT I SUGGEST LOOKING AT THE FOLLOIWING NOTES FIRST, otherwise some of it won't make sense.**

_Note 1: Team Groups_

_Group A: Kiba, Shino, and Hinata_

_Group_ _B: Naruto, Sakura, and Ino_

_Group C: Neji, TenTen, and Rock Lee_

_Group D: Shikamaru, Kakashi, Might Gai, and Chouji_

**Note 2: **

**THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!**** I am an English-dubber, and so will use only english-dub names for Shaman King characters! Here's a quick list to get you Japanese readers on track - I can't think of many now, so let me know if I missed any!**

**Hao = Zeke**

**Horohoro = Tre**

**Eep! And before I forget, here's the disclaimer: Shaman King = Hiroyuki Takei and Naruto = Masashi Kishimoto. Enjoy!**

**CHAPTER ONE: HERE WE GO**

Yoh Asakura cast one last look back at the house he had just left.

It was more of a palace than a house, but his Queen wouldn't have it any other way, and besides; a bigger house made it easier to hide the path to the Sanctum where the Spirit King resided.

His Queen. Anna.

Yoh smiled fondly as he turned away before his face melted into an uncharacteristic frown.

"Ready, Amidamaru?" he asked seemingly empty air.

An iridescent blue ball with spikes resembling hair surrounding his eyes and miniature red armor across hid back appeared at Yoh's shoulder.

"I am ready, Yoh," Amidamaru informed his partner.

"Good," Yoh replied, and his mouth pulled into a lazy, half smile.

"Let's do this."

And with that, Yoh Asakura closed his eyes and called on his _other_ partner – the King of Spirits. As he made contact, balls and streams of pure, colored light appeared around Yoh, swirling and enveloping both he and his Guardian Ghost.

Yoh's forehead wrinkled as his intense level of concentration grew. At the peak of his power, as he struggled to maintain control over his massive amount of spiritual power, Yoh had but a moment to turn to Amidamaru and remind him.

"Remember, Amidamaru. Because this will be the first time I've tried this, it will take a lot out of me, so – " Amidamaru cut him off.

"Don't worry, Yoh, I will protect you."

Yoh grinned at his friend just before the light teleported both away.

He smiled for more than one reason. The most prominent being returning to save the world at his friends' sides, and the other being something that the Spirit King had said to him just before their connection was cut.

"Good luck."

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– KONOHA ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

A blood-curdling scream rent the air throughout Konoha, but the locals merely glanced up curiously before going back to their day-to-day activities.

It seemed that Sakura Haruno had found another reason to nearly beat Naruto Uzumaki into a pulp.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Wonder what he did this time," a few villagers pondered.

Little did they know that Naruto had committed one of the greatest crimes of the century – at least in Tsunade and Sakura's book.

In their eyes it easily warranted a full-out beating, which Naruto didn't even try to defend himself from.

All he did was squeal pitifully every time they punched him hard enough to farce his body to create a crater.

Wimp. They weren't even trying (that hard), but here was Konoha's second-greatest hero screaming like a little girl while trying to explain himself to the two furious women.

"I can explain!" Naruto sobbed; he was sure his right leg and a few ribs were broken.

"You stole Tsunade-sensei's sake! That is unforgivable!" the cherry blossom screamed as she broke his other leg.

"Ow! I only took them because if she drank anymore she would've gotten alcohol poisoning," he gasped.

The truth was out.

Tsunade and Sakura's expressions turned much more docile.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" they grumbled in unison.

The captive audiences of this drama – though unnerved by the sudden quiet – were brave enough to peak through their fingers to take in the carnage.

Audible sighs resounded from the Rookie 8 – along with Kakashi Hatake and Might Gai – when they saw a bloody piece of orange and yellow being healed by the two fierce medic-nin.

Within minutes, Naruto was back on his feet.

Tsunade brushed the dust from her clothes as she addressed all of the shinobi present.

"Alright, now for the real reason I called you here," she announced.

"You have a mission. Don't interrupt me, Ino. The level of this mission is S-rank. Listen carefully to the details.

"An unknown male has appeared in a village on our western border. The reason this concerns us is because of his means of arrival. To put it frankly, this guy wasn't there one minute, and the next he was. He didn't fall out of the sky or anything like that. Our reports say that he appeared in the middle of the street, surrounded in light.

"And before you ask, we do not think that his arrival was because of a jutsu he performed. There were three ninja on the scene at the time, and what he used apparently 'did not feel like chakra.'"

"Are you saying that this guy used magic or something?" Ino interrupted skeptically.

Tsunade sighed, "I don't know, Ino. But there's something else . . . ."

Everyone leaned forward expectantly.

"When he appeared in broad daylight, surrounded by civilians on a busy street, not one batted an eye. They didn't even seem to register that he was there when they passed him. Only our shinobi could see him."

All eyes (including Kakashi's) widened.

"So how do we know this guy's still even on the western border? Did the shinobi you talked about tail him?" Kiba inquired, showing a brief stroke of brilliance.

"Yes. They managed to tail him to a boarding house. Along the way the target entered an alley, and after he emerged it seemed that the civilians could see him, because they began to show signs of registering his presence," Tsunade answered.

"Here's your mission," Tsunade continued while handing Kakashi a slip of paper.

"Kakashi's team leader and you're all going. The reason I'm sending so many of you is because this guy could be a very big threat, and the more help you have; the better. You are to spy on this man. Find out who he is, what he wants, where he's from . . . the basics. If he is a viable threat to Konoha, it's up to Kakashi whether or not to kill him or bring him in," Tsunade concluded.

"Any questions?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru voiced one they were all thinking.

"What does he look like? You haven't mentioned his features at all; just a few abilities."

"I'm glad you brought that up, Shikamaru," Tsunade said.

"The thing is that the chunin who first discovered him can't seem to remember his face."

Cue shocked expressions.

"WHAT? And these guys are chunin, why?" Ino screeched.

"It's not really the chunin who are at fault. I think it's more like something the guy did to them."

"Like a spell?" Chouji asked incredulously.

"I don't know," Tsunade responded simply.

"But I do know that he is wearing a dark cloak and hood with unusual white embroidery that hides his entire head. You can't miss him. Anything else?" she said, becoming slightly curt at the end – after all, there was sake to be consumed elsewhere.

Silence was her answer.

Tsunade nodded, "Good. You leave ASAP; we don't know how long this guy'll hold still, so you need to catch up to him fast. I don't know how long this'll take, so pack enough to last you a couple of weeks."

She looked each and every one of those in attendance in the eye before she turned away, calling over her shoulder, "Good luck."

Every male breathed easier as soon as she was out of sight.

Finally, Kakashi stood. He eye-smiled at them all.

"Okay, you guys. Meet at the gate when you're ready to go. We leave at dusk."

All disappeared except for the former mentors in puffs of smoke.

"What do you think, Kakashi?" Might Gai asked his "rival."

"To be honest? I'm a little worried," the team leader replied.

"After all, this guy's capable of making people forget his face – so why not his unusual cloak as well? Actually, I think it's a trap."

"Oh?"

"I think he wants us to come to him. We have to be on our guard."

"Agreed," Gai said.

"See you in 45 minutes or I run 300 laps around Konoha!" he continued, back to his normal self.

Kakashi just nodded and teleported away. Grumbling, Gai followed suit.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 8 HOURS LATER––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The team of Konohans arrived just before dawn broke. They remained in the forest in order to catch their breath. Hundreds of miles on foot in 8 hours tends to leave one a little oxygen-deprived.

As the others stretched their cramped limbs, Naruto sat down and leaned against a tree.

He was a little apprehensive because an unnerving thought had struck him on the way; what if this guy was an Akatsuki?

They wore cloaks, and apparently so did this stranger.

What if . . . .

_No_, Naruto rubbed his temples. _I don't know anything about this guy, so who am I to judge him?_

Suddenly coming to a conclusion, Naruto nodded to himself and stood up – he would give this guy a chance to prove himself one way or another.

The quiet around him made Naruto wary, and he raised his eyes to see the rest of his team staring at him curiously.

Undeterred and back to his old self, Naruto grinned and with a swift, "What are we waiting for? Let's go," he was gone, having broken cover and entered the little town.

Sighing at his abrupt cheerfulness, Kakashi, Gai, Sakura, Shino, Chouji, Ino, Neji, TenTen, and Hinata followed him.

Shikamaru and Kiba, however, hung back.

Kiba glanced at Shikamaru, looking slightly disturbed.

"Was Naruto nervous just now?" Kiba mused.

"Yeah," Shikamaru nodded, "I've never seen him like that. It worries me . . . . Wonder what's got him so spooked?"

Kiba shook his head, "I have the really creepy feeling that we're gonna find out."

It took Kakashi's team until noon the next day to find their target.

When they did, Naruto was disappointed; shopping for vegetables didn't seem like something the mysterious guy he'd imagined would've been doing.

Now covertly killing and/or planning to bring about the destruction on Konohagakure? That seemed more his style . . .

. . . But then again, this was based purely on speculation –.

_Oh, wait_, Naruto cut off his own thought, _that's what the Akatsuki would be doing . . . ._

Naruto roused himself from his thoughts and got back to what he should be doing: observing.

Apparently, their target was a pretty experienced shopper – if the animated conversation he had engaged a vendor in was anything to go by.

Naruto was just getting to the point where the melons to his right were beginning to look very tasty, when he heard a boisterous laugh and looked up to see the salesman the man in black was talking to slap said cloak-wearer heartily on the back and point with his free hand to an inconspicuous dark alley down the street.

The target nodded, shook hands with the vendor, and began to walk.

Naruto was immediately on alert.

"He's on the move," the blonde whispered into his wire headset.

"I see him," Kakashi responded, "All groups fall in and tail him, but stay in your assigned units."

A chorus of affirmations followed.

Instead of going back to the place he was supposedly staying, the stranger slipped through the crowded streets until he reached the outskirts of the little border town.

Without a backwards glance, the man entered the forest, oblivious to the ten people who followed him soon after.

As the trees began to thicken, it became harder to keep their tailee in sight; he seemed to melt into the shadows around him, which, while not unusual to the shinobi, certainly made keeping track of him an annoying chore.

At least he was making plenty of noise . . . perhaps a little too much in Kakashi's opinion.

Was the guy really naturally clumsy enough to snap every twig and hit every branch he came across?

Very suspicious indeed.

The stars were twinkling high up in the sky by the time the man stopped. It was only years of experience the supplied the Konohans enough grace to stay on their branches.

What he did next nearly made several people fall out of their trees.

He spoke.

"Why are you following me?"

**Oooh, I start off with a bang - er, cliffie!**

**A note about the Naruto-verse war; all the enemies (including the fake-Madara) disappeared after the reincarnated Mardara was defeated - apparently this put a bit of a kink in their plans . . . But don't worry! You'll see all the bad guys soon. After all, what fun would this fic be without any excitement?**

**Tune in next time!**

** - Home By Another Way**


	2. Chapter 2: The Cave

**Alright, first things first; a HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE and a tremendous amount of thanks to the following people for helping me with my dilemna.**

**To MsHuntergrl: Your explanation was awesome and I can't thank you enough!**

**To TheRealGoodyTwoShoes: Your advice was heeded almost immediately and I have officially deleted my illegal non-story.**

**To SavvyEnigma: Thank you so much! ;)**

**To SomeoftheFame: It did work. xD**

**To writterperson: Thank you for the nudge in the right direction.**

**It's great to know that there are awesome people in this world who will spend a few seconds of their lives to make someone else's day unbelievably brighter. *contented sigh***

**So, anyway, I was freaking out all of Thanksgiving break because I could not for the life of me figure out how to upload a new chapter for this story. It's because of the kind people above that I am able to be here at all.**

**But, enough with my rambling. DISCLAIMER: IF YOU RECOGNIZE SOMETHING THEN I DOUBT I OWN IT.**

**There, I've gotten that out of the way . . . read already! Oh, and Happy belated Turkey Day! :)**

**CHAPTER TWO: THE CAVE**

_**Last chapter re-cap:**_

_**What he did next nearly made several people fall out of their trees.**_

_**He **__**spoke**__**.**_

_**"Why are you following me?"**_

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LINE BREAK ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Multiple kunai points immediately pricked the guy's neck. Four, to be exact. Naruto in front, Kakashi in back, Neji to the right, and Gai to the left.

But the victim didn't seem at all fazed.

In fact, he laughed.

It was a lazy laugh that was at the same time infectious and put others at ease. Or it would have, had the shinobi not been so tense and suspicious.

"Relax," the cloaked figure chuckled as he brought his hands up to the side of his head.

Slowly, so as to avoid alarming his assailants, the man drew back his hood and allowed the world (well – this one, anyway) to see his head for the first time.

His head was bowed at first, so all the ninja could glimpse of the stranger was his slightly spikey brown hair, and the odd contraption that looked suspiciously like gigantic, padded, orange headphones resting just behind his ears.

The man raised his head slowly.

Naruto – because he was standing in front of the guy – got to see his face first.

What was revealed to him made him suck in a sharp breath and lower his kunai from the brunette's neck.

The stranger's face was very handsome. Twin bangs parted naturally above the center of his forehead. They fell to frame a face with a pointed chin, merry brown eyes, and tanned skin.

His cheekbones were high, and that combined with the olive shade of his skin gave him an appearance of mixed Indian and Japanese heritage.

But what made Naruto react so was the unusual headband the stranger was sporting – positioned not unlike his hitai-ate. This one was brightly colored and seemed to be woven; Naruto had never seen anything like it, and that was saying something.

And we mustn't forget the _other_ factor for Naruto's reaction.

Though they twinkled, so much power and wisdom was contained in those eyes that it surprised Naruto. Sadness was also present. Sadness not unlike his own. Immediately, Naruto felt a connection to this stranger . . . .

. . . . But no matter how alike his eyes were to Naruto's, the stranger still had yet to earn his trust.

Gritting his teeth, the jinchuuriki returned his kunai point to the brunette's neck.

A sigh came from behind their victim, followed by the deep, resigned voice of Kakashi.

"Stand down, you guys."

The others obeyed promptly. In dangerous situations like these, any hesitation about following the orders of your commanding officer could get you killed.

"I'll cut to the chase," Kakashi continued. "What's your name?"

A lazy half-smile crept across the (hopefully) soon-to-be-named stranger's face as he turned to the silver-haired jounin.

"Yoh," he replied. Kakashi felt a flash of irritation as the blunt removal of a last name. _Well_, he concluded, _at least this "Yoh" seems to be cooperating halfway. Can't argue that it's better than nothing._

Even though they all realized what Yoh had done, no one raised any complaints; which greatly surprised the Copy Cat Nin.

Anyway; on with the interrogation! After all, it was still unknown whether or not Yoh was friend or foe.

But still, what was so important about his last name?

Despite his attempts to hold it back, suspicion began to cloud his judgment.

As though sensing his thoughts, Yoh said, "I gather that you attacked me because you want information. Well, what do you want to know?"

"What are you doing here?" Ino demanded, taking the plunge.

"Ino . . . ." Chouji warned.

"That's a great question, actually," Yoh smiled. "To be honest, I'm not going to be here long. I have other places to be."

"Then you wouldn't mind us escorting you to the border," Kakashi interjected, feigning politeness while at the same time letting Yoh know that he would have an escort, whether he liked it or not.

"I would be honored," the stranger said diplomatically. But there was a peculiar glitter in his eye, as though he knew something they did not.

Frankly, it pissed all the ninja off, and brought back the ominous feeling that Kakashi had been wary of a few days ago . . . .

Still, no matter how freaky this situation was, it was their duty to get the job done. And they hadn't managed to gather much intel or information . . .

. . . So far, that is.

His mind made up, Kakashi began issuing orders, "Alright. Group A, C, and Ino and Sakura; spread out and keep watch. The rest of you are with me and Yoh."

Everyone nodded.

"Go." Aforementioned Groups disappeared.

Yoh started walking, and all but Shikamaru, Kakashi, and Naruto faded into the shadows.

Naruto decided to be blunt.

"So, Yoh," he began, "Where are you from?"

That secretive gleam returned to Yoh's eye as he replied, "Far, far away."

"Care to be more specific?" Kakashi inquired.

"Not at the moment," Yoh shot back cheerfully.

"Tell us a little about yourself," Naruto demanded.

Yoh stopped and looked at him with narrowed eyes, sizing him up. Then he smiled.

"Okay, what do you want to know?"

"For starters, what are you doing on Konoha?" Kakashi asked.

For perhaps the first time, the smile winked out on Yoh's face, and his eyes darkened.

"To be honest, I really am just passing through," Yoh said at last.

"Where are you trying to get to?"

A grim smile lit Yoh's features. "We're almost there, actually. I'm going to see an old friend."

A strange sense of sadness settled over the tall stranger then, and it stifled any attempts to further the conversation.

About two hours passed before the group managed to loop back around and reach the border.

Once it was in sight, Yoh stopped.

His "escort" looked at him questioningly, but he didn't seem to be paying attention.

Yoh was looking at the surrounding forest as though he were testing it. After a minute or two, he nodded his head in approval and turned to Kakashi.

"I realize this is unorthodox, but please call in your friends."

His visible escort gaped at him.

"And why would Kakashi-sensei do that? For all we know you could try to kill us!" Naruto blurted out, glaring at the man who had lost his marbles.

Yoh stared right back, and opened his mouth to say one thing, "They won't want to miss this. Trust me."

And in that moment, Naruto did.

Kakashi's hand rose to his neck, "All groups return."

Once everyone was assembled once more, Yoh grinned.

"Okay, you guys. Remain calm."

The next thing the shinobi knew, Yoh burst into flames and the world twisted sickeningly before everything went black.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LINE BREAK ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

When the shinobi awoke, they came to the conclusion that if Yoh wasn't as trustworthy as he seemed, they were all screwed.

Why would they think this?

Because they found themselves in a completely different place. At first glance, it seemed that they were in a cavern. Rough rock was prominent at their backs, and to their left, just barely distinguishable from the rest of the room, was an oval of lighter color – perhaps where an opening to the outside was.

A burst of color in the middle of the room drew their attention. The silhouette of a tall figure stood illuminated in front of the fire. His voice identified him to be none other than Yoh.

"So you're finally awake, then? Good," Yoh ignored their obvious failed attempts to stir.

"Don't worry; you should be able to stand in about two –"

A grunt cut him off, as Naruto staggered to his feet. He was momentarily gratified by the shocked expression on Yoh's face, though it faded soon enough.

Yoh shook his head ruefully, "I should have known." He looked at Naruto appraisingly.

"You truly are strong if you can move so soon after travelling through time and space for the first time."

Naruto collapsed. He looked up at Yoh from his position on the ground, wide-eyed.

"Are you serious? That's not true! It can't be . . ." the blonde's voice faded with every word.

Yoh smiled gently at him. Then a light appeared to turn on in his brain.

"I just realized that you know my name, but I don't know yours. Mind filling me in?"

By now everyone could at least open their mouths, and at a nod from Kakashi, they introduced themselves one by one.

"Hatake Kakashi."

"Might Gai."

"Hyuuga Neji."

"Hyuuga Hinata."

"Yamanaka Ino."

"Inuzuka Kiba."

"Aburame Shino."

"Akimichi Chouji."

"Haruno Sakura."

"Nara Shikamaru."

"Rock Lee."

"Tenten."

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Once they were done, Yoh smiled.

"Thank you. Now . . ." he trailed off and everyone leaned forward in anticipation.

". . . I'm going to have to ask you to remain here."

Needless to say, jaws hit the floor.

"WHAT?" Several people exploded, and Naruto struggled to his feet again.

Yoh had an abashed look on his face as he tried to calm them. He raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Now, now – hold on a minute! I'm just going to visit someone who happens to live further back in the cave! I promise nothing will happen to you. Just trust me –"

"Why should we do that? You kidnapped us!" Sakura shrieked.

Yoh winced, "Well, that is true . . . but you're the ones who insisted on giving me an escort."

That truthful slap in the face silenced the side conversations that had sprung up. No one seemed to know how to respond to that.

"Fine, but take Naruto with you," Kakashi ordered.

Now Yoh looked uneasy. He opened his mouth to disagree, but a sudden thought crossed his mind before he could get the words out.

"Alright," Yoh conceded. Naruto perked up.

A stern expression entered Yoh's eyes, "But you have to keep your presence absolutely hidden. My friend can be rather . . . quick to judge. He might not appreciate it if I showed up with a stranger."

They all heard him add, "Though he probably already knows," under his breath.

Shrugging and replacing his worried frown with a lazy smile, Yoh walked over to the wall and easily heaved Naruto to his feet.

Then he turned and disappeared in the shadows at the back of the cave, Naruto following close behind.

Surprisingly, they hadn't gone more than a couple of paces before Yoh stopped and turned to his right.

"Ah, here it is," he murmured. Yoh carefully traced the shape of a door and – to Naruto's astonishment – white fire flickered up wherever the handsome man's finger had touched.

Eventually a rectangle had been carved out of the rock face and – at an unintelligible word from Yoh – was transformed into a modern-looking steel door.

The hair stood up on the back of Naruto's neck; there was something different about this door; he could sense it.

Yoh turned to Naruto and asked him to mind his duty to stay hidden and remain outside.

Naruto couldn't have been happier to have an excuse to stay as far away as possible from that creepy entrance in the wall.

But as Yoh pushed open the door, Naruto recalled the orders that Kakashi had hand-signed to him; infuse your ears with chakra.

Which was exactly what he did as soon as Yoh entered the room on the other side of the door.

Unfortunately for him, Yoh noticed the sudden thickening of power around him, and smiled wryly. Yoh didn't know what he was up to, but he decided to let it slide.

"You can come out now, Amidamaru."

An eerie blue ball of light appeared at Yoh's shoulder, which freaked the still-watching Naruto out a great deal, but Yoh didn't seem to mind. Instead, he silenced the questions trying to bubble up out of Naruto's mouth with a look.

The blonde reluctantly swallowed his impatience, but retained his ever-growing curiosity.

Yoh stepped further into the room beyond, and closed his eyes briefly, steeling himself.

Directly in front of him was a modern prison cell equipped with a thick silver door set into the stone, and completed with a small, rectangular window at eye-level.

Yoh forced a smile to his face before her opened the door lazily.

"Hello, Lycerg. Long time, no see."

Naruto was very confused.

Yoh obviously knew whomever he was talking to, and Naruto could only assume that this guy was the friend he had mentioned, but why would the person be in jail –?

He was jarred out of his thoughts when he heard a young man's bitter voice respond to Yoh's greeting.

"Go away, liar." Huh. This guy couldn't be much older than him and . . . Sasuke.

"C'mon, buddy," Yoh could be heard saying cheerily. "You've been here forever; I've come to get you out."

"That's funny, considering it was you who put me in this hellhole in the first place," the teenager snapped.

This friend of Yoh's certainly didn't seem very friendly.

Yoh sighed, "No it wasn't, Lycerg, and you know it."

"Yes it was!" 'Lycerg' insisted. "You killed the X-Laws, Yoh. You and him! You're a hypocritical traitor and because of what you did, Jeanne is dead, and she was our only hope of stopping him!"

"Why did I attack the X-Laws in the first place, Lycerg?" Yoh asked sharply.

"Tre insulted Michael, and Michael attacked him," Lycerg admitted grudgingly.

"That's right," Yoh confirmed softly. "And you know just as well as anyone that I don't just stand there and watch my thirteen-year-old friend go up against an adult by himself all because of said adult not liking to be compared to a stiff, hypocritical bastard.

"Look, I had no idea that I exhausted them so badly, or that he would show up and kill them without giving them a chance to recover," he continued.

"And after that, he disappeared right away, didn't he? And while you were trying to protect Jeanne, he forcibly tore your Guardian Ghost from you. I understand that you were angry about that, but did being upset and grieving really give you a reason to attack us?" Yoh's voice had remained calm and quiet all this time, but now it was slowly rising.

"Didn't you notice that none of us swung at you even once?"

"Yes," came the reply. "You just stood there while I beat you. But you still played a part in their deaths! If you hadn't exhausted them, they would've been able to fend him off!"

"You might be right about that," Yoh murmured, "But don't forget that they weren't exactly holding back either."

An angry silence unfolded, but suddenly cloth could be heard rustling, and a pink light flickered to life in the darkness.

A sweet tittering reached Naruto's chakra-enhanced ears. What was that . . . ?

A sharp intake of breath pierced the darkness like a knife. Lycerg's awed voice whispered, "Is that . . . ?"

Whatever it was, Yoh confirmed it. "Yes. She's missed you a lot."

The tittering continued, and was suddenly punctuated by a soft sob.

"Chloe, how can you not hate me?"

What, now there were _four_ people (including the "Amidamaru" ball form earlier) in there? Naruto was getting exasperated, but even that frustration was drowned by his curiosity.

Who – or what – were these guys?

The sobs grew louder, and Naruto could faintly hear Lycerg muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry . . ." over and over.

Gradually, Lycerg got ahold of himself and asked Yoh in a defeated tone, "Why are you getting me out now? It's been five years already!"

Yoh didn't reply.

"You're going after him, aren't you?" Lycerg said it with such certainty that it appeared he had already answered his own question.

Naruto heard a whooshing of air indicating Yoh was nodding.

Lycerg sighed heavily.

Malice returned to his voice when he suddenly snapped, "Why are you letting that person eavesdrop on us?"

Naruto fell over from shock. He recovered just in time to hear Yoh laughing heartily.

"I trust him, and I need him to trust me," he replied simply.

Why don't you meet him and judge him yourself?" Yoh suggested, and released Lycerg Diethel without a second thought.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LINE BREAK ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

***Somewhere far away in another Elemental Country***

A tall man in a pale cloak froze as his keen senses detected a massive ripple of energy pulsing in the air.

He relaxed almost immediately, and a cruel, wry smile stretched across his face.

"So, Yoh, you've finally made your move."

The man turned to the rock face in front of him, where people in black cloaks emblazoned with red clouds were said to reside.

"Now it's time to make mine."

**I swear I'll try to keep my Author's Notes shorter, but I promise that Chapter Three will be up and readable in less than two weeks.**

**Thanks again and GOOD NIGHT!**


	3. Chapter 3: Explanations and Blue Hair

**Alright, I'm only gonna say this once: I'm sorry I'm updating so late. I was lazy. Please forgive me.**

**Thank you.**

**Just so you guys know, I cut this chapter in half. The ending might make more sense to you if you now that.**

**(This is way overdue, but -) THANKS TO MY FIRST-TIME-EVER REVIEWER: _olihime_!**

**It is thanks to her review from months ago that I'm here today at all, so, yeah . . . **

**ENJOY! (P.S. I don't own either Shaman King or Naruto.) And by looking at the title, can you guess who we meet this time?**

**CHAPTER THREE: EXPLANATIONS AND BLUE HAIR**

_**Last chapter re-cap:**_

_**A tall man in a pale cloak froze as his keen senses detected a massive ripple of energy pulsing in the air.**_

_** He relaxed almost immediately, and a cruel, wry smile stretched across his face.**_

_** "So, Yoh, you've finally made your move."**_

_** The man turned to the rock face in front of him, where people in black cloaks emblazoned with red clouds were said to reside.**_

_** "Now it's time to make mine."**_

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Yoh appeared in the doorway to the cell again, and his slightly apprehensive expression did little to put Naruto at ease.

But Naruto was a skilled shinobi, and did not let his nervousness show. That much, anyway.

A young man perhaps two years Naruto's junior stepped out from behind Yoh.

His face didn't look nearly as young as it should have. It was marred by premature worry lines around his mouth, eyes, and forehead that reminded Naruto very strongly of Itachi. But that was where the similarities ended.

Lycerg's hair was iceberg green and his eyes a faded lime. Mistrust and suspicion were swirling crazily in their depths and his slight frame was tense and ready for battle.

Naruto had the uncomfortable feeling that unless he calmed this extremely high-strung person down in the next .2 seconds, the greenette would snap.

The blonde jinchuuriki stuck his hand out.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

Lycerg rolled his eyes but shook hands anyway.

"Lycerg Diethel."

An audible sigh of relief burst form Yoh, "Okay then, now that we all know each other, let's go get your friends."

His eyes twinkled knowingly at Naruto, "I'm sure you have some questions you're just dying to ask."

Lycerg spluttered indignantly, "Just how many people did you bring, Yoh?"

"Ten."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Well, let's get a move on," Yoh cajoled.

When the trio arrived back where the others had been left behind, they found them waiting impatiently in the shadows.

Yoh seated himself by the fire, Lycerg standing as a type of guard just behind him. Kakashi stood across form him, flanked by Naruto and Shikamaru. Gai and Groups A and C were scattered about, either standing guard or conversing quietly amongst themselves.

The rest were trying to catch some Z's, trusting their teammates to fill them in on anything they missed. Trying being the key word there.

The Q and A session going on around the fire was just too interesting to miss.

"Ask away," Yoh invited.

"Where are we?" Kakashi inquired.

"A prison frozen in time and space," he replied matter-of-factly.

No one was that surprised; they'd heard and seen stranger things.

"Who's your friend?"

"His name is Lycerg. He's my friend and subordinate."

Eyebrows rose at that last word, but the green-haired shorty didn't dispute it.

"Why did you take us with you? You could've easily left us behind," this question was one that mattered the most to his teammates' safety, so Kakashi was naturally anxious to know the answer.

"I need your help," Yoh said bluntly.

Whatever the shinobi had been expecting to hear, it most certainly wasn't that.

Behind the brunette enigma, Lycerg stiffened.

"What hope do they have against him?" he hissed angrily.

Yoh chuckled, "I'm not sure, but it wasn't him that I necessarily wanted them to fight –."

"Excuse me," Kakashi interrupted, "but who is this 'him' you keep mentioning?"

Lycerg glared at him, eyes glittering with hate. He opened his mouth to respond, but Yoh beat him to the punch.

"He is our enemy."

"Care to elaborate?" Shikamaru asked.

"To put it bluntly, I don't trust you to know yet."

Naruto, though he didn't know Yoh that well, was stung by his tone.

"Why not?" he shouted angrily.

Yoh just grinned. That damned _lazy_ grin.

"Because you don't know enough about me, and I don't know enough about you."

"And you just expect us to tell you our lives' stories?"

Silence. Then Naruto growled, "You first."

Yoh laughed while the rest of the poor shinobi just blinked stupidly; void of the energy necessary to comprehend the sudden changes in mood.

"Actually," his eyes turned mischievous and Naruto gulped. "I was thinking I would show you."

The shinobi contemplated his offer, and it was – to the immense surprise of everyone – Shikamaru who spoke.

"Kakashi-taicho, I think we should trust him and see where this goes."

The silver-haired man's one visible eye appraised him before it closed thoughtfully.

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes, until Kakashi opened his eye and issued his orders.

"Gai, take everyone but Hinata, Neji, Naruto, Shino, Shikamaru, Sakura, and Ino back to Konoha. Report what's happened to Tsunade. The rest of us are going to go with Yoh and Lycerg."

Gai nodded and turned to his troops, "Alright, you guys. You heard him; let's go."

He glared menacingly, "It is most unyouthful to argue about matters such as this."

They nodded, looking resigned.

"Are you ready?" Yoh asked. "I'll be dropping you in a remote area of woodland close to Konoha."

Upon receiving affirmation, Yoh waved his hand and they were suddenly . . . gone, leaving the remaining ninja staring at empty space.

"Now it's our turn," Yoh said.

"I warn you, this next one might be a bit of a shock." Yoh smiled, and with a snap of his fingers; they were off.

Most managed to land upright this time, and the few who didn't rectified themselves with alarming speed because the other option was to be smothered by snowdrifts.

It appeared they had been dumped somewhere very cold, in the middle of a blizzard.

Let's see . . . A blizzard plus summertime shinobi dress equals one frostbitten ninja, which is not a good combination.

Yoh's mouth was moving, but over the ruckus of the storm it was impossible to hear what he said.

Thank Kami for lip reading.

"Get . . . out . . . of . . . the . . . way," Sakura murmured, her teeth already chattering uncontrollably. "Huh?"

Her exposed skin was freezing, her eyes were squinted and dry, and pins and needles were beginning to prickle her fingers and toes. Snow had already drifted itself up to her thighs, so she couldn't have moved fast if she wanted to, but something about Yoh's message . . . .

A roaring sound filled her ears, and she caught sight of Yoh once more. His face was desperate for some reason, but Sakura didn't have time to figure it out due to an invisible wall of force hitting her dead on. She was sent tumbling through snowdrifts in shorts and a t-shirt at a life-endangering speed – just as a wall of snow crashed onto the place she'd been standing with the force of a mini-avalanche.

Dazed, Sakura forced herself to her knees, shaking her head in an effort to banish the cobwebs from her brain.

Glancing around, Sakura saw that her entire team (minus Kakashi, who was standing by Yoh), had suffered the same fate.

A mound of snow just in front of her erupted to reveal a pissed, freezing Ino. Hinata surfaced with a gasp twenty feet away. _So, by deductive reasoning_, Sakura thought, _those rear ends sticking out of the snow must belong to the boys, because there's no other sign of them._

When Neji resurfaced, he felt extremely ruffled.

What in the world was going on? Had they travelled to the Land of Snow? No; it felt different, somehow. There was something about this place –.

Someone stuck their hand in his face.

Startled, Neji recoiled before briskly pushing himself to his feet. He could just make out the figure who offered to help him up through the blinding snow storm, but he knew right away that it was not someone he was familiar with.

"Byakugan," Neji murmured. He gasped at what he saw.

The person's chakra system was unlike any he had ever laid eyes on before. The chakra was still blue, but it seemed softer; wilder. And it was focused in abnormal places. The energy still ran through the limbs like normal, but the heart and hands glowed almost as brightly as the stomach, which was not right.

Then the figure made one of the most universal signs known to man, _"Follow me."_

With a start (since when had he grown so jumpy?), Neji realized that the rest of his team had gathered not far away, and that the unknown figure was heading directly for them.

Gritting his teeth, the Hyuuga prodigy forced chakra into his feet and sprinted over at inhuman speeds in order to a) warm up, and b) get there faster than the other guy.

He was successful, and deactivated the Byakugan along the way.

His blurred form solidified at Kakashi's side. "Captain . . ." Neji warned.

"I know," Kakashi replied softly. Soothingly, he continued, "Let's just wait and see what happens."

By this time the stranger had reached their group, and, after gesturing for them to follow, trudged off into the snow storm.

After wandering for about five minutes, the soon-to-be-frozen shinobi were able to make out a strange, unnatural phenomenon in the valley before them.

It appeared to be a large dome, and as they drew nearer, the ninja's suspicions were confirmed; there was in fact a very large, oblong structure rising from the snow in the middle of nowhere.

Wait a second. What the hell was a modern-looking dome doing in the middle of nowhere? Most of the ninjas were too cold to care, but Shino's bugs were going crazy.

What they were telling him was not compatible information with their current environment.

Shino frowned; what did they mean, there was a tropical savanna nearby? That was impossible, unless – Shino flashed wide (hidden) eyes towards the mass they were gradually closing in on – that dome had something to do with it?

The Aburame would apparently soon find out, because his little group was headed straight for it.

Hinata gasped for multiple reasons when they finally entered the metallic dome.

She was the last to enter, and as soon as she did, the hairs on the back of her neck prickled and goose bumps rose on her arms. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

A humongous lily pad swamp was spread out before her, stretching as far as the eye could see in any direction. Hot air collided with her wind-whipped skin, making her shiver.

The door slammed shut behind her, jolting her senses and forcing her to accept reality.

Yes, there really were people no taller than her mid-shin floating around, drawn to the newcomers like moths to a flame.

Their eyes took up half their faces and they each sported brightly colored robes. Some were rosy-cheeked, some pale . . . but all wore identical expressions of cheerful curiosity. The strange little men were tittering away in some high-pitched language that Hinata couldn't understand, but what really mattered to her was that they were closing in, getting nearer and nearer . . . .

She stiffened; they looked friendly enough, but looks could be deceiving, and her frayed nerves couldn't handle much more.

A movement in her peripheral vision caught her eye. She whirled around, realizing that she'd turned her back on the mysterious man who'd led them here . . . .

Hinata, along with the rest of her team, froze in shock.

The unknown male had pulled off his parka, revealing a head full of hair shaded a sky blue they'd never seen before. He dropped the coat to the ground next to him, and one of the tiny floating females left the masses and settled on his left shoulder.

She tittered in his ear, and he could apparently understand what she said because he laughed and sheepishly brushed snow off his pants.

Standing just in front of them, the shinobi could see Yoh also brushing off, a cheerful smile on his face.

Kakashi stepped toward the blue-haired man, asking what they all wanted to know, "Who are you?"

The new guy finally turned fully around, revealing a handsome face with a sharp chin and a boyish smile. His eyes resembled Kiba's the most, his pupils like slits. He was also tall, though not as tall as Yoh, and a lot more buff.

He grinned at them, "I'm Tre."

Tre was dressed in an unusual fuzzy, thin coat with the kanji for mourning stitched where his breast pocket should have been. He was – oddly enough – wearing long shorts and a pair of boots.

Tre's hair was shaggy, falling over his eyes, and it gave him a cool "bad boy" look.

He spoke again before the shinobi could, "Before you start asking questions," his smile faded, "let's get you warmed up; you all look like popsicles."

He turned away, but they all heard him mutter, "I have some questions I'd like to ask, too." And they all saw the dirty look he flashed Lycerg.

The greenette stiffened in return, but Tre had already begun leading the group deeper into the swamp.

To the shinobi's immense surprise, Tre and the little floating people peeking out at them from behind lily stems were not alone. Other, normal-sized humans would drop down and greet Yoh and Tre with a large degree of awe and adoration. They even bowed their heads as Yoh passed, leaving the shinobi with two important questions;

Who were they?

And perhaps the most important; what had they done to deserve such respect?

When they had at last arrived in the center of the swamp, the ninja were surprised to see a small town fit for humans nestled within the stems.

The buildings were small and square, but looked well-kept and comfortable. They were few in number, and seemed to be centered around a slightly larger building.

It was the bigger structure that Tre led them to. He entered without hesitation, the strange little female fairy zipping after him.

At a nod form Kakashi, the shinobi followed him. Yoh and Lycerg brought up the rear.

The inside was tastefully decorated with various shades of blue, but was sparsely furnished.

The walls, Neji noticed, had very few hangings, which was strange for a living space. Pictures were the most common of these ornaments, and Neji found the people in them very interesting.

He was so absorbed by the largest picture, which depicted a large group of people that he didn't notice Tre come up behind him until he tapped him on the shoulder. Neji jerked, a kunai appearing unconsciously in his hand.

The sight of his potential ally calmed him, and it didn't hurt that he came bearing what looked like a set of really inviting, warm, and dry clothes.

Neji nodded his thanks as he took them, and returned to the shadows where the rest of his team had gathered.

Once ensuring that everyone was accounted for, the shinobi turned their attention to the reunion taking place in front of them.

For a few seconds, no one said anything. Yoh and Tre stared at each other, unsmiling, before they grinned with such synchronization that it was unnerving.

"It's good to see you again, dude," Tre said.

"Right back at'cha, man. What've you been up to?" Yoh asked cheerfully.

Tre flashed a distrusting look at Lycerg and the half-hidden ninja before he replied, "Um, before I answer that, why are they here?"

He glared at Lyserg, "Especially him."

Yoh sighed, "Clam down, Tre; he's here to help."

At the blue-haired man's disbelieving look, Yoh frowned.

"He's on our side, Tre. Trust me."

Lycerg and Tre glared at each other before Tre relented, "Fine."

The eyebrows of the ninja rose – what was the history between these two?

"What about those guys?" curiosity got the better of Tre's previous hostility and he tilted his head at Yoh's new companions.

'These are talented shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves," Yoh shrugged at Tre's confused expression, "who have generously offered to escort me."

A smirk alighted on Tre's lips, "Yeah right, more like –"

Yoh cut him off with a quiet warning, "Tre . . ."

The bluenette got the hint and turned to the shadows, immediately zeroing in on Kakashi. But before he could say anything, said team leader disappeared and reappeared behind Tre with a kunai at his throat.

"I don't want to do this, Yoh, but we need answers before we go any further."

In the far back of his mind, Kakashi vaguely registered hi hostage's unusual reaction to potential death. Instead of tensing or struggling, Tre relaxed as though there were nothing to be afraid of.

Yoh sighed.

"Okay," he responded. "Ask away."

'First, where are we?"

The blue-haired man with a very sharp knife close to his jugular answered that one, "This dome is located in Antarctica."

Antarctica? The ninjas had never heard of the place. They were about to ask what in _Kami's_ name was going on, but Yoh interrupted.

"Right," he laughed nervously. "Maybe now is a good time to tell you that we're not in the Shinobi Dimension anymore."

Their cold, killer glares told him to explain, and fast.

"You remember earlier when I brought –. " "More like kidnapped," Ino grumbled. "—you guys to that cave and everyone but Naruto and I were immobile for a few minutes?"

The ninja nodded; how could they forget _that_ humiliating experience?

"Do you remember what I told you?"

"You're talking about that travelling through time-and-space garbage, right?" Sakura supplied.

"Exactly. There are many different dimensions in our universe. As communication between dimensions is very dangerous and usually forbidden, with a few exceptions, only a few are aware of the possibility, and exactly two are capable of it."

The shinobi's eyes widened at the implications. Someone could attack with technology and techniques that were completely alien to them at any time? And they'd have no way to defend themselves . . . .

. . . If either of those two unnamed (though Yoh was obviously one of them) people were to become their enemy, the ninja could very well be – annihilated.

Before they could panic any more, Yoh continued in a soothing voice, "Lyserg's . . . home is an example of an extremely small pocket dimension lying on the fringe between your dimension and mine."

Everyone but Tre and Lycerg looked at him with unreadable expressions. Kunai and shuriken flashed as they appeared in several people's hands.

"Now, hold on a second! Let me finish!" Yoh insisted.

"This is our," he gestured to himself, Tre, and Lyserg,"dimension. It's called . . . Earth, I suppose. We're more technologically advanced here, and the continents are divided differently . . ." Yoh realized his rambling was only antagonizing the ninja, and paused for a moment to gather his thoughts.

"I can take you back at any time, but I urge you to listen for a minute."

Kakashi nodded in consent, "Alright, but we still need to know a few things _right now_."

The door burst open. The ninjas whirled, weapons in hand, and tried to lunge forward . . .

. . . Only to find themselves being held back.

**Yes, I am aware that things are kind of slow, but I promise you that things definitely pick up from here!**

**Can anyone think of a better name for the shaman's dimension? Let me know if you can and I'll change it!**

**See you next time!**


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